A Story of Heroes (Version 4)
by Metatron's Prophet
Summary: In the Enchanted Forest, clockwork creatures are taking every magic item they can find. Two orphans discover they have the gift of magic. What is the connection? A plot for revenge against the Shadowhunters is revealed.
1. Prologue

Prologue

Tessa Gray was walking home from the library with two books in her hands. Two new adventure books; filled with heroes and monsters. Just as she turned the corner, a drunk man grabbed her arm. The man was short, fat, bald and had yellow teeth. He wore filthy clothing which consisted of a shirt, torn pants, and shoes with holes.

"Hey, pretty lady." He said. His breath stunk of alcohol.

Before Tessa could say anything or run away, the man pushed her to the ground. He pushed her so hard, she let go of her books. That sparked a fire in Tessa. She kicked the man in the last place a man would want to be kicked. As the man fell to his knees, Tessa quickly got to her feet. Then she punched him in the nose. He fell back onto the dirt road, groaning in pain. Realizing that Tessa was not to be messed with, the man quickly crawled away.

"Nice one, sis." A familiar voice spoke.

When Tessa turned, she saw her sister, Emma Swan, holding her books. She handed them to Tessa and the two of them calmly walked away from where Tessa had beaten up that drunk man. While they are not sure that they share blood, the two of them grew up in the same orphanage. They were both left outside of the orphanage on the same night, together. At first, they were believed to be twins, but that was questioned as they got older. Emma grew blonde hair and had brown eyes. Tessa, on the other hand, has curly brown hair and emerald-green eyes.

"Thank you, sister." Tessa said with a smile. "Care to walk home together."

"Afraid I can't." Emma replied. "The Sheriff has me guarding some merchandise belonging to a wealthy noblemen. It will be shipped across the sea tomorrow."

"If this merchandise is so valuable, should there not be knights guarding it?" Tessa asked.

"Oh, there are." Emma said. "But the noblemen is rather paranoid. He wants all the protection for this stuff as he can get."

"I wonder what is inside it that warrants such concern." Tessa said, full of curiosity.

"I have no idea." Emma replied. "When I asked the knights, they told me flat out that they wouldn't trust me with such important information! They also said if I tried to see what it was, they would throw me in jail!"

"The nerve of those knights!" Tessa said.

"I know!" Emma said. "And I have to be with them until the ship arrives tomorrow at noon."

"Well, if you're still guarding it tomorrow morning, I'll bring you some breakfast." Tessa said.

"Thanks so much, sister." Emma replied.

After that, Tessa headed home with her books. Emma stopped by the pub to have a quick drink before heading to the harbor.

In the forest outside the village, two Shadowhunters were killing a demon. The younger of the two stabbed the reptilian creature with his dagger. Almost instantly, the creature was turned to dust and the dust quickly disappeared, back to whatever dark corner of creation that had spawned it.

"Well done, Bae." Will said.

"It was easier than I expected." Bae bragged.

Despite being a year younger than Will, Bae was the same height as him. Both of them had dark-black hair, and had swords strapped to their backs. However, Bae was skinner and had brown eyes. Will has eyes as blue as ocean water. Attached to his belt, Bae has a number of throwing daggers. On the other hand, Will carried two swords, a hatchet, and brass knuckles. Like all Shadowhunters, they wore light leather gear. The only difference was Bae's armor had a hood. The only difference was Bae's gear had a hood. The two were both quite handsome.

"Come on," Will said. "If we get back to the Institute fast enough, there might be some roast beef left. Assuming Jason had a snack before dinner."

They shared a laugh as they walked through the woods. Suddenly, Bae came to a halt.

"Did you hear that?" He asked.

Will listened carefully to his surroundings. He soon heard footsteps, not far away. Strange, that someone would be in the woods so late at night. Perhaps another demon? Bae grabbed a dagger from his belt, while Will drew one on his swords. Stealthily, the two of them made their way through the trees. They saw a man walking clumsily away from the village. At first, he seemed like an ordinary man who had had too much to drink at the pub.

In the forest outside the village, two Shadowhunters were killing a demon. The youngest of the two stabbed the creature between the ribs with his dagger. Almost instantly, the creature turned to dust and the dust quickly disappeared, back to whatever dark corner of creation that had spawned it.

"Well done, Bae." Will said.

"It was easier than I expected." Bae bragged.

Despite being a year younger than Will, Bae was the same height as him. Both of them had black hair, and had swords strapped to their backs. However, Bae was skinner and had brown eyes. Will has eye that are blue like sea water. Attached to his belt, Bae has a number of throwing daggers. On the other hand, Will carried two swords, a hatchet, and brass knuckles. Like all Shadowhunters, they wore black leather gear. The only difference was Bae's gear had a hood.

"Come on," Will said. "If we get back to the Institute fast enough, there might be some roast beef left. Assuming Jason had a snack before dinner."

They shared a laugh as they walked through the woods. Suddenly, Bae came to a halt.

"Did you hear that?" He asked.

Will listened carefully to his surroundings. He soon heard footsteps, not far away. Strange, that someone would be in the woods this late at night. Perhaps it was another demon. Bae grabbed a dagger from his belt, while Will drew one of his swords. Stealthily, the two of them made their way through the trees. They saw a man walking clumsily in opposite direction of the village. At first, Will thought he was just some lost drunk man. Until he applied a Nightvision rune to his skin. Immediately, he realized that it was only made to look like a man. While the thing wore a brown coat, pants, and shoes, it was clearly inhuman. First, it had no face; just a smooth metal surface with two red half-spheres where a person's eyes would be located. Its left hand had no fingers. In their place was a short blade. The right hand had three fingers, including the thumb. However, it had gears the clearly functioned as joints.

Neither Will no Bae had ever seen such a thing. It needed to be investigated. Will stepped out from the shadows and straight into its path.

"I command you, in the name of the Nephilim, to identify yourself!" Will said.

Only a moment after Will finished his sentence, the odd thing went completely berserk. It charged at him, swinging its blade hand wildly. Will countered the attack with his sword. Quickly. he realized that its attacks had a lot of power behind them. Also, the metallic being could move quite fast. However, its clumsy movements kept it from landing many blows. Once Will got the thing into the proper position, Bae came out of the bushes and began throwing his daggers at it. Most of them bounced off; like they hit solid rock. However, one dagger got stuck inside the shoulder area. Now, it was having trouble moving its left arm. Then, Will thrust his sword into its chest. There were loud ticking noises that slowly quieted. Despite having a sword in its chest, the metal being remained standing.

"What is this thing?" Bae asked Will.

"No clue." He replied. "I have never seen, read, or heard of a creature like this."

"We should take it back to the Institute, so Henry can examine it." Bae suggested.

Before Will could reply, the metallic being began to speak. Even though it did not have a mouth, it spoke perfectly. Its voice was inhuman and plain with a flat tone. There was no emotion in its voice, at all.

_Beware Nephilim! Your end is near!_

"What are you?!" Will asked.

_Beware Nephilim! Your end in near!_

"We definitely need to have Henry take a look at this thing." Bae said.


	2. Chapter 1

Emma was bored and tired until the metal monsters attacked.

As she had expected, it was a long, boring night, guarding a wooden crate. None of the knights would say a word to her. They just stood at their guard positions, as still as statues. She was reduced to counting the cobblestones in the road to keep herself occupied. It was a miracle she did not fall asleep. She was to see her sister at noon, the same time the ship arrived. Tessa would have come sooner, but she overslept. In her arms, she carried a small basket with biscuits and milk inside it.

"So, anything exciting happen?" Tessa asked.

"This has been the most boring night of my life." Emma sighed.

"At least it's over." Tessa said.

Then they heard a carriage approaching. The two of them turned and saw that it was actually three carriages. All three of them were black, without any markings on them. Their wheels seemed to be made of black metal. Each of the carriages were being pulled by two horses. Or, at least they looked like horses from a distance. Up close, it was clear that they were not. First, their skin was shiny and metallic. Second, they had no eyes, but they did have a set of horns. Third, there was steam coming out of their mouths. Fourth, they had gears in place of joints.

Upon seeing them, the knights drew their swords. When the carriages came to a stop, metal monsters burst out of them. Some of them were tall, some were short. All of them had smooth, metal faces with red half spheres where a person's eyes would be located. A few of them did not have clothes on, exposing wires and gears throughout their bodies. Everyone of them was equipped with some kind of weapon. Mainly swords where their hands should be. Overall, there were at least a dozen.

Emma told Tessa to run, but that was not an option. About four more metal men were closing in from the opposite direction. When Emma drew her sword, the knights were already engaged in battle with the metal men. Their blades clashed furiously. They seem to be an even match, but there were more metal men than knights. However, they were not Emma's main concern. All she could think about was getting Tessa to safety. At first, Emma did not see any escape routes. Then she realized she could use the ship.

Without any hesitation, she grabbed Tessa's hand and pulled her to the ship. The two of them hurried onto it. Emma cut the ropes keeping it at the dock. She finished just as she heard her sister scream. Five metal men were on the deck. One was swinging its sword arm at Tessa, while the other four were trying to move the crate Emma had been guarding.

Something inside Tessa snapped when she saw her sister being attacked. The whole world seemed to disappear, except for Tessa and her attacker. If Tessa died . . . Emma could not even imagine that. She and Tessa have been together all their lives. They ate together, played together, shared secrets, and relied on each other for so long. She needed to do something.

The metal creature grabbed Tessa by her arm and raised its blade. Time seemed to slow for Emma. Every second felt like an entire day. Emma instinctively aimed her right palm at the metal man.

"No!" She screamed at the top of her lungs.

A beam of white light shot out of her palm. The creatures blade arm was completely disintegrated. Clearly confused, the metal man stumbled off the ship, dragging Tessa with it. Emma ran to the side of the ship, to see if Tessa was okay. Fortunately, she was already swimming towards the shore. Overwhelmed with relief, Emma did not notice a metal man sneak up behind her. After a single blow to the back of her head, Emma was unconscious.

Meanwhile, Tessa saw that things were not going well for the knights that were fighting. Already, most of them were laying on the ground, motionless. Despite the obvious, Tessa pray they were simply wounded or unconscious. Even though the knights numbers were being thinned, the same could not be said about the metal men. They continued to attack relentlessly. The knights that remained were fighting with all their might, but only seemed to be slowing the creatures down. It was like fighting living armor.

Tessa climbed out of the water and one of the creatures charged at her. She would probably have died, if a hero had not saved her.

Riding a pegasus, two men descended from the sky. One of them shot three arrows at the metal men going after Tessa. This took its attention away from Tessa, giving her time to run. Her first thought was to get back on the ship. In order to help her sister. She knew there were still some metal men on the vessel. All Tessa could think about was coming to her sister's aid. After grabbing a sword that was on the ground, she noticed the ship was already sailing away.

Another metal creature ran towards Tessa, intending to attack her. She raised the sword she had grabbed, though she quickly realized it would not be much help. It was not only hard to lift, but Tessa had never wielded a sword before in her life. Still, she held it, prepared to go down fighting. However, she never had a chance to fight, because of the men that had flown in on a pegasus got between the metal creature and Tessa. Their blades clashed, moving as fast as lightning. The metal creature had the advantage in this fight, that was quite clear. While the man was obviously a skilled swordsman, the metal creature was attacking as wildly as a starved lion. Any blow the man landed slowed it down, at the best. Fortunately for the man, the metal creature tripped and fell onto its back. Seeing the momentary opening, the man thrust his sword into its chest. For a second, he thought he had won. Until the metal man gripped his throat. The warrior tried desperately to loosen its grip, but it was as solid as a stone.

Unable to just stand-by, Tessa moved to help. The metal creature paid no attention to her as she lifted the sword in her hands to strike it. With all her might, Tessa slammed the blade into its head. There was no effect at all. She could see the warrior's life was slipping, as he was hardly struggling anymore. Once again, Tessa lifted the sword and slammed it against the metal creature's head. Still no effect. Now the man was not moving at all. For a third time, Tessa swung the sword against the metal man's head. This time, a second before the sword hit it, a light surrounded the blade. When the sword made contact, the metal man instantly turned to dust. Completely.

Tessa did not take a second to wonder about what happened. She immediately tried to help the man that protected her. He was not breathing.

"Will!" The other warrior yelled as he fought his way towards them.

Before he reached them, Tessa's hands glowed with the same light that had surrounded the sword. This light moved through the air and into the warrior's mouth. When it disappeared, he suddenly sat up gasping for air.

"Wow, that was unusual!" He said, then turned to Tessa. "Are you alright?"

That is when she noticed how incredibly handsome he was. He had dark hair, blue eyes, and perfect teeth. Tessa could not help but stare at him.

"Do I have something on my face?" He asked.

At that moment, Tessa could feel a great deal of blood rushing to her face.

"Ah, no." She said, turning away. "And I'm fine."

"Good." He said with a grin. "Now I have to rejoin the battle."

However, he never got a chance to fight because the metal men suddenly disappeared. Literally. They just glowed with a green light for a second, then they were gone. The same thing happened to their carriages.

"Will, are you okay?" The other guy asked.

"I'm fine." Will replied. "Better than fine. I feel brand new."

"That's strange," the other one said. "Considering you were almost strangled to death."

"You can thank her for me not being dead." Will said, pointing at Tessa. "Somehow, she turned the metal creature to dust."

"A warlock?" He inquired. "Did she use magic?"

"Um, I don't know what happened." Tessa said.

She studied the other man. He was as tall as Will and just as handsome. His hair was dark and his eyes were brown. Both of them wore leather gear, but the other one had a dozen daggers attached to her belt.

"I do," Will said. "Somehow, you used magic to put an end to that thing."

"If she is a wielder of magic, we will have to take her back to the Institute." He said. "You know that the law dictates that all those who have the gift of magic must be registered with the Clave."

"Ya, I know, Bae." Will replied.

The moment Tessa heard the word "Clave", she knew the two of them must be Shadowhunters. In the past, Shadowhunters were warriors chosen by the angel, Raziel, to defend the world from demon invaders. After the war was won, the Shadowhunters became a sort of all powerful law enforcement. They have the authority to do almost anything, in any kingdom. All kingdoms cooperate with them, because demons continue to enter the world, though much more slowly and in far fewer numbers. If Shadowhunter were to abandon a country, it would be destroyed by demons within a month.

"Before you do that, we should make arrangements for the knights who died here." Will said.

"I think you should take a look at them before that." Tessa said.

With puzzled looks, the two boys turned to the knights. They were glowing with a blue light. At the same time, they were shrinking. After about a minute, they were the size of dolls. As a matter of fact, that is what they became. Now, they were rag dolls.

"What in the name of the Angel is going on here?!" Will exclaimed.

"Something bad." Bae said.

Suddenly, Tessa remembered her sister. Unfortunately, when she turned to the sea, the ship was nowhere to be seen. Which was very strange. It had not be all that long since Tessa fell off. The ship should still have been in sight.

"Pardon me, young lady," The one called Bae said. "Could you please come with us?"

For a second, Tessa hesitated. She knew very little about Shadowhunters, other than what she had read at the town library. However, she knew that the two of them saved her life. So, she trusted them.

"Alright," Tessa said. "My name is Tessa Gray, by the way."

"Pleasure to meet you. I am Will Herondale, and this is Bae Starkweather."

Then, Bae whistled and the pegasus from before flew down to them. All of them climbed on it, and flew up into the sky.


	3. Chapter 2

Flying is both fun and terrifying at the same time. Tessa could feel her heart pounding. She held tightly to the Shadowhunter in front of her. Will was in front of her and Bae was behind her. The pegasus flew surprisingly well, considering there were three people of its back. Soon, all Tessa could see on the found for miles was forest. When Tessa was finally able to relax, they began a rapid descent. She shut her eyes tightly, expecting them to crash at any second.

"Hey, are you planning to ride that thing into the Institute?" Bae chuckled.

It was then that Tessa realized that they were on the ground, completely safe. What was more embarrassing was the fact that she was tightly pressed against Will's back. Almost instantly, she let go of him and got down. Once she, did she noticed they were in the middle of a very thick part forest. There also was not a building in sight.

"Where is this 'Institute'?" Tessa asked.

"Right here." Will said. "You just can't see it yet."

Bae walked over to her and handed a bracelet to her. It was white and rather thin. When Tessa looked closely at it, she saw dozens of small black symbols painted on it. They were so small, Tessa wondered how they were painted so well. Obviously, they wanted her to put it on, and she could guess why. The moment it was around her wrist, she saw what was truly in front of her.

Where there had once been a bunch of trees, now stood a magnificent castle. It seem to be made entirely of red bricks with a single black symbol painted on each. There were three towers that rose out of the roof of the castle in the shape of a triangle. A pair of iron doors were at the front. On the left door was a symbol that resembled the sun, painted in yellow. The symbol of the right door looked like the moon, painted in blue. Neither door had a knob; instead they had hand shaped carvings. Tessa followed the two Shadowhunters to the doors. Bae placed his hand on one of the carvings. Both the doors swung open instantly, with great force.

"The doors are enchanted." Will explained. "They can only be opened by a Shadowhunter."

"Do they always open so forcefully?" Tessa asked.

"Just for Bae." Will replied. "Once, when he opened them, the doors broke off their hinges. Nearly crushed Henry. So hilarious."

"You wouldn't say that if you had to deal with Regina lecturing you for hours." Bae murmured.

Tessa wished she knew more about what they were speaking of. It is not fun to missing out on a conversation because you do not know enough.

The interior of the Institute was beautiful. Its floor was made of polished wood and a golden chandelier hung from the ceiling. There were well-kept carpets and the walls were decorated with the most splendid of portraits. Mostly, they were paintings of angels; angels descending from Heaven, angels building marvelous palaces, angels grow the most incredible plants. What made these portraits even more amazing was that they moved. Small movements that were repeated, but still, they add life to the paintings.

As soon as the doors shut, a young boy levitated out of the floor. He literally just came flying out of the floor. Tessa was so surprised, she almost fell down. Thankfully, Will caught her. She could feel herself blush.

"Henry, you seriously need to stop doing that." Bae said, annoyed. "It scares everyone half-to-death!"

"Darn, you didn't bring back another automaton." The boy said, completely ignoring Bae.

"'Automaton'?" Will inquired.

"It's what I've decided to call those fascinating machines." The boy said with a grin.

Tessa looked at him from head to toe. He looked about ten years old, had brown hair that was very messy, his eyes were brown and filled with curiosity. His clothes had more stains than Tessa could count and he wore cranked goggles on his head. The strangest thing about the boy was that he continued to float two feet above the floor.

"Whose this?" He asked, now noticing Tessa.

"Her name is Tessa Gray." Will replied. "We believe she has the gift of magic."

Henry then made a smile that seemed too big for his face. He stopped hovering and did a short dance.

"Sweet!" He shouted with joy.

"What kinds of powers does she have?" Henry asked eagerly.

"Well, she turned an automaton into dust." Will answered. "Beyond that, we don't know what she can do. She seems to have just discovered she can use magic."

"Hmmm." He said while rubbing his chin. "Perhaps one of my inventions can tell us what she is capable of?"

"Forget it!" Bae shouted. "Your crazy inventions always end in disaster."

"Sorry, Henry." Will said. "Afraid we can't let you use any of your creations on her."

"Darn it!" Henry said disappointed.

Then he went through the floor again.

"Who was that?" Tessa asked.

"His name is Henry." Bae replied. "He is the son of Regina Miller, the Head of the Institute. His hobbies include inventing things that blow-up and annoying to the point of near insanity."

"Actually, annoying you is his only hobby." Will said. "Inventing and researching is a full-time job to him, even though he takes great pleasure in it."

"I know." Bae said. "Now, I believe we have to take our new friend here to see Regina."

For some reason, Tessa felt less afraid now. Perhaps it was because she no longer saw the Shadowhunters as mysterious warriors. Now, they just seemed like an extraordinary family. However, she reminded herself that she did not know what they intended to do to her. So, she remained alert.

Tessa followed the two Shadowhunter boys down a long hallway. There were dozens of doors along both sides of the hallway. Every now and then, there was a lantern hung between two doors, to provide light. After many twists and turns, they came to a door not like the others. It had been painted red, with the initials "RM" drawn on it in gold.

"Ready?" Will asked.

"Yes." Tessa replied.

Upon walking through the door, she realized she was not. For a second, Tessa thought they were outside. This was because there was an apple tree and grass growing out of the floor. Also, the light in the room came from an orb attached to the ceiling. Like a small, artificial sun.

Sitting under the tree was an extremely beautiful woman. She had long black hair in curls, soft brown eyes and red lips. In her hands was a black leather book. Her clothing consisted of a black dress with red lining. Around a finger on her left hand was a ring with a green gem.

"Good to see you have returned." She said without looking up. "Henry told me you have a new sorceress with you."

"Are you certain I have magic?" Tessa blurted out. "Could something else have turned that the metal monster to dust?"

"I don't believe so." Will said.

"I agree." Bae said.

"We shall soon see." Regina spoke with indifference. "Mulan has already been sent to get a Silent Brother."

"When she returns, tell the Silent Brother I have something else that needs to be investigated." Bae said as he reached into his pocket. "These."

He pulled out the dolls that had once been knights. Then, he explained what they were to Regina.

"Interesting." Regina replied, still reading her book. "Why didn't you have Henry examine them? He is more than capable."

"Pay back for Henry's 'Instant Cooking Spell', which covering him in pie." Will said before Bae could reply.

"Is that true?" Regina asked, now looking up from her book.

Her eyes were like daggers that pierced Bae's soul. Reluctantly, he nodded.

"I thought I told you, my son's spells and inventions do sometimes have unexpected results, but that does not give you the right to exclude him from anything." Regina said calmly.

The was this sort of power in her voice. A kind of authority.

"My apologizes." Bae said quickly and nervously.

A moment later, the door opened. In walked a fierce-looking woman and behind her was a robed figure. He had a black hood over his face. His robe was decorated with white symbols. The woman had tan skin, black hair that reached her shoulders and gray-green eyes. Like Will and Bae, she wore black gear. Attached to her belt was a longsword and she carried a bow and arrows on her back.

"You're early." Regina said. "Efficient as always, Mulan."

"Thank you for your praise." Mulan replied. "The Silent Brothers have allowed us the use of Brother Gabe."

At that moment, the hooded figure revealed his face. Tessa could not stop herself from gasping. The man had scars on his face were the same as the symbols of his cloak. His eyes and mouth were sewn shut. He also had hands that were very boney.

_Good day, Miss Tessa Gray._

Those words were not spoken; not truly. They were simply sent into Tessa's mind. It is a sensation much like the echo of a song.

"How?" Tessa managed to say.

"The Silent Brother are known for their unusual magic." Will told her. "They are capable of the many odd things."

_I am grateful for the compliment. _Brother Gabe spoke.

Tessa did not believe Will was complimenting the Silent Brothers. In fact, he seemed a little uneasy around Brother Gabe. Though Tessa was in no position to judge when she felt the same. So did Bae and Mulan. Only Regina seemed unaffected by his presence.

"Now, I know Mulan has informed you why you are here." Regina said. "However, now have a second task for you after you have confirmed what sort creature this girl is."

"'Creature'!?" Tessa exclaimed.

Being call that did not only make Tessa feel insulted, but also afraid. If the Shadowhunters did not think of her as a person, they might not treat her as one. They may dispose of her whenever they felt like it. Despite her best efforts to remain calm, Tessa could feel her heart racing and breathing heavy.

"Relax." Will said gently, noticing her fear.

Tessa looked directly into his eyes and quickly felt her fear melt away. She somehow knew she could trust him. It was a feeling from deep inside her soul that told her this.

"What are you going to do?" Tessa asked the Silent Brother.

_Using my own magic, I shall see the nature and source of yours._ Brother Gabe replied.

Carefully, he placed his palm on her forehead. His hand was as cold as that of a corpse. He pulled back his sleeve, revealing markings similar to the ones on his face. Suddenly, they began to glow with a golden light. That is when everything around Tessa disappeared. It happened as fast as a strong wind blows out a candle. Now, all that surrounded her was darkness.

Tessa walked through the darkness for what felt like an eternity. Until she saw a light. It was much like a firefly; a small light, circling in the black void. When Tessa reached out to touch it, she heard a scream behind her. Now, there was woman behind her. This woman was tied to a chair and wore a white dress. No matter how hard Tessa tried, she could not make-out her facial features. One thing was clear though; the woman was pregnant. She screamed at the top of her lungs, "My child! My child!" over and over again.

Tessa shut her eyes and covered her ears, desperate for this nightmare to be over.

While Tessa was getting acquainted with the Shadowhunters, Emma awoke to find she tied to a mast. She did not realized this at first though. When she opened her eyes, all around her, she saw the knights that had been at the harbor manning the ship. Once Emma tried to move, she discovered she was thoroughly restrained.

"Hey!" Emma shouted. "Why the hell am I tied up?!"

The knights paid no attention to her. They just continued their tasks like machines. Emma saw no sign of Tessa. However, she did see the remains of those metal monster at her feet. Those things had been completely torn apart. There were dozens of questions in her head, but only truly mattered to Emma right now.

Where was her sister?"

She needed to find Tessa. No telling how long she has been unconscious. Tessa could have been injured by one of those metallic men. Emma spent a hour trying to think of a way to escape her bindings.

Just when she felt so frustrated, she need to hit something, an arrow struck the rope that bound her. Shortly after, the whole rope fell down. Before Emma could wonder how or why an arrow freed her, she looked up. There was a ship flying directly above the one she was on. This ship was painted red and yellow, with the name 'Jolly Roger' written on the side. The moment Emma saw that name, she knew what came next.

Pirates.

They lowered themselves onto the ship with ropes, prepared to fight. Many had swords and tattoos. All of them seemed like nasty fellows. One pirate came down carrying another on his back. The one that was doing the carrying wore a red hat, a blue-and-white striped shirt and scandals. He was rather fat and had a short white beard. Emma did not get a chance to get a good look at the one being carried before the fighting began.

Blades clashes furiously. Not knowing who she should fight attack, Emma simply dodged everyone and looked for somewhere to hide. then, she saw a female pirate shooting arrows at the knights. Since she was the only one armed with such a weapon, it was clear that she shot the arrow that freed Emma. So when a knight went at the girl with a sword, Emma tackled the knight and managed to grab his sword. The knight now looked at Emma with a blank, yet dangerous, expression. He charged at her, but did not get very far. Someone thrust a sword through his chest. When the knight fell to the floor, Emma saw who had killed him. It was the same pirate she had seen being carried down. Now that she saw him close-up, Emma noticed he was probably the most handsome of the pirates. He had a black leather coat and boots. Around the fingers on his right hand were a number of rings. The reason there were none on his left hand is he did not have a left hand; instead he had a silver hook.

"Well done, lass." He said with a grin. "You can put the weapon down. We are not going to harm someone who just saved my second in command."

Instead of dropping the blade, Emma grabbed its sheath and attached it to her belt. Then she put the sword in it.

"Clever." The woman with a bow said. "Never trust a pirate."

"You do realize you are a pirate, Liz?" The pirate with a hook said.

"You're the Neverland Pirates, aren't you?" Emma asked.

"How did you know that?" The man inquired.

"My sister has read a couple books about you." Emma replied. "Stories of pirates that sailed the seas of a land where no one ever ages, in a ship called the Jolly Roger."

"Hear that, mates!" The man hollered. "We're famous!"

Then he extended his hand.

"We have not been properly introduced yet." The man said. "I'm Killian Jones, though most people prefer to call me Hook."

"Emma Swan." She replied as she shook his hand.

"Captain!" A pirate yelled. "You need to take a look at this!"

Hook, followed by Emma and Liz, walked over to the crate Emma had had to guard. The top had been removed and its contents revealed. Inside were . . .

"Beans?!" Emma said, frustrated and confused. "That is what I had to guard for an entire night."

"Oh, these are so much more than ordinary beans." Hook said, a look of horror on his face. "These beans can open portals to other lands."

Once he said that, Emma remembered Tessa telling her about magic beans with that power being mentioned in dozens of books.

"How is this possible?!" Liz exclaimed. "I thought the one we used to get to Neverland was that last one."

"It would seem not." Hook said. "And I felt a storm coming."


End file.
